Positive Guardian article on NFP

The Guardian on Tuesday carried an article by Sarah Ebner called Perfect Timing. Promoters of Natural Family Planning have known for a long time that if a couple wish to avoid pregnancy, NFP is more effective than artificial contraception. This article in a secular newspaper not known for its sympathy to Catholic teaching, is significant in recognising the same in the public square.

The article is marred by treating NFP as a "method of contraception" but even so, it is a very positive statement of the advantages of using NFP. It does not, unfortunately, draw attention to the fact that fertility awareness is a more effective route to achieving pregnancy than IVF for those who are finding it difficult to conceive.

Catherine Evans of The Brook, buts in with the outdated line:
"it doesn't protect you against sexually transmitted infections, so it's not a method we would promote."
Many people will take from this the message that condoms do protect from STIs. This is not true. They offer some protection from some STIs. There are STIs for which condoms offer no protection at all. And the promotion of condoms has coincided with a massive increase in STIs because of the subliminal message that using condoms means that you can have sex safely with whoever you want. The only effective protection from STIs is abstinence outside of marriage and faithfulness within marriage.

The article picks up on the health problems of hormonal contraception and other advantages of using NFP. "Rebecca" is quoted as saying
"I feel that we're learning more all the time. Taking these steps has led me to become more curious in other ways. It's made me more aware of what's going on in my body and I feel it's really changed our sexual life in a positive way"
This reminds me of a talk by Janet Smith in which she spoke about couples who use artificial contraception complaining about their "sex lives." The couples who used NFP looked at each other in puzzlement wondering what they were talking about.

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